Today I am so pleased to welcome Lane Hayes to Joyfully Jay. Lane has come to share anย exclusive excerpt fromย her latest release, A Kind of Romance. She has also brought along a great giveaway. Please join me in giving Laneย a big welcome!

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Excerpt

When he turned toward the pool table and the wall of bookshelves at the opposite end of the space closest to the kitchen, indifference gave way to wide-eyed admiration.

I stuffed my hands in my jeans and cocked my head. โ€œWanna play?โ€

โ€œMaybe another time.โ€ He bit his bottom lip and then glanced at his watch. โ€œI have to go.โ€

โ€œYou just got here. And Iโ€™mโ€ฆ drunk.โ€

โ€œYou arenโ€™t as drunk as you seemed earlier. Youโ€™re playing me, and I donโ€™t like it. Iโ€™m not sure what your game is butโ€”โ€

โ€œThereโ€™s no game, Ben. I justโ€”want to be with you.โ€

โ€œYou want sex,โ€ he stated in a flat tone, folding his arms over his chest.

โ€œI would never say no, butโ€ฆ that isnโ€™t it. Itโ€™s you. I canโ€™t stop thinking about you.โ€

โ€œHmm. We can talk tomorrow. Iโ€™m going to get us both water and aspirin, and thenโ€ฆ Iโ€™ll be on my way. Call me in the morning to let me know youโ€™re okay. Where are your glasses?โ€

โ€œThe kind you drink with?โ€

He squinted at me as if he couldnโ€™t decide if I was joking. He nodded slowly.

โ€œSecond cabinet on your right. Wanna watch a movie or something?โ€

โ€œReally?โ€

โ€œReally. Come with me.โ€

I grasped his hand, led him back to the living room, and then handed him the remote to the giant flat screen hanging on the exposed brick wall. I made a show of using a different remote to lower the roman blinds throughout the room while I yammered on about movies my friends had recommended.

โ€œI like action flicks, but Iโ€™m up for anything. You choose.โ€

โ€œThis isnโ€™t a good idea.โ€

โ€œSure it is. Whatโ€™s wrong with watching television?โ€

โ€œNothing, I suppose, butโ€” This says your last movie viewed was Inside Out.โ€

โ€œAnd it was awesome. My niece made me watch it. Sheโ€™s seven andโ€”Iโ€™ll watch it again if you want.โ€ I smiled as I gestured for him to take a seat and make himself comfortable. โ€œIโ€™ll grab a bottle of wine. Or would you rather have a cocktail?โ€

He hesitated for a long moment before finally obeying. โ€œWine is good. But I canโ€™t stay, Zeke. Not for long.โ€

โ€œJust a glass, then.โ€

I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of Cab from the wine refrigerator, two glasses, and an opener. I set everything on the coffee table and then methodically uncorked the bottle. As I poured I made silly conversation about my nieceโ€™s favorite parts of the film. I handed him a glass and raised mine in toast. โ€œTo you. Thanks for rescuing me.โ€

Benny took a sip and then glanced at me wearily. โ€œI didnโ€™t rescue you. You sabotaged my date.โ€

โ€œOh. Then maybe I rescued you. Cheers.โ€

Benny inclined his head and settled back on the sofa. โ€œMaybe you did.โ€

We watched the movie in companionable silence for a while. I stole glances at him every so often, but I didnโ€™t want to upset the quiet. Just being with him feltโ€ฆ nice. His lips curved in humor at the animated hijinks. He turned to share a smile and caught my stare.

And held it. I could have sworn I could hear his heartbeat over the sound from the flat screen. I leaned in slowly and kissed his mouth. It was a featherlight touch. Unhurried and undemanding. When he sighed and moved a little closer, I pushed my fingers through his hair and deepened the connection.

Benny groaned and melted into me, alternately sucking and licking at me until I pushed my tongue between his lips. We made out like teenagers on the sofa with the flicker of light from the television casting shadows around us. I was painfully hard, but I was afraid to break the sweet contact by asking for more. I was content to live in the moment. He pulled away to take a breath and gave me a thoughtful look.

โ€œWas that your ex?โ€

Talk about a mood killer.


Blurb

A Kind of RomanceZeke Gulden is a ruthless Wall Street exec. His hard-edged, no-nonsense attitude has served him well in the cutthroat business world, but less so in his personal life. When he finds out his ex-boyfriend cheated on him with a coworker, Zeke canโ€™t let goโ€”not until he finds a way to get even. However, his meddlesome father has other ideas. The new hire at the family-owned bagel store is somewhat colorful, but his dad is sure heโ€™s the perfect man for Zeke.

Benny Ruggieri is a fiercely proud New Yorker who dreams of making it big as a costume designer in the theater. In the meantime, heโ€™s working two part-time jobs in the food biz. When his new boss sets him up with his successful son, Benny has zero expectations. If nothing else, he figures he can entertain himself by making the uptight businessman squirm. Instead, the two become unlikely friends with an inexplicable attraction they canโ€™t ignore. Benny might be the one to help Zeke set aside his quest for revenge, if heโ€™s willing to let go and forgive what he canโ€™t forgetโ€ฆ and give in to an unexpected kind of romance.


Bio

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! Itโ€™s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions in the 2014 and 2015 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and the coolest yellow Lab ever in an almost empty nest.


Giveaway

Lane has brought a $20 Amazon gift cardย to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Tuesday, June 21st at 11:59 pm EST.

  • By entering the giveaway, youโ€™re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
  • Winners will be selected by random number.ย No purchase necessary to win. ย The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
  • If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
  • Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
  • Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
  • All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
  • By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
  • Readers may only enter once for each contest. ย Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
  • Void where prohibited by law.
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